When passions for teams get out of hand

Updated 5:41 am, Friday, September 27, 2013

But when those intense loyalties for a team descend into fatal altercations, researchers say, the culprits almost always deeply regret their actions afterward.

One group "goads the other, and then it escalates," said Donelson Forsythe, a psychologist at the University of Richmond who studies fan violence. "But afterward, they can't believe they let the group's 'mob mentality' overtake them and mislead them in such a fatal way."

Police say choice words over the Giants-Dodgers rivalry are what sparked a brawl that led to the fatal stabbing of Jonathan Denver, a 24-year-old Dodgers fan who was leaving a bar with his family near AT&T Park late Wednesday.

Police arrested Michael Montgomery, 21, of Lodi on suspicion of homicide. An 18-year-old was taken into custody but later released, and two other suspects were still being hunted by police.

Forsythe, who has chronicled violent fan confrontations for decades, said the altercations usually begin with young men in groups, often fueled by alcohol, and ready to scrap over a perceived slight to their team.

"It's those who so strongly identify with their team to the point where they feel empowered to defend their team against their rivals," he said.

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Big rivalries, big problems

It's the storied rivalries between longtime foes that can turn particularly violent.

In August 2011, the 49ers ended preseason football games with the Oakland Raiders after two men were wounded in separate shootings in the Candlestick Park parking lot during an exhibition contest between the teams, and another fan was badly beaten in a stadium restroom.

Police Chief Greg Suhr said that on Wednesday increased patrols, including undercover officers wearing Dodgers jerseys, were at AT&T Park as part of the department's "rivals package" staffing.

At AT&T Park for Thursday night's game, droves of fans arrived in Dodger blue and Giants orange. Many were aware of the fatal stabbing.

"But it's nothing more than good fun," she said of the rivalry between the teams. "You don't get crazy with it."

Jim Cerrito, 45, Hernandez's boyfriend, was dressed in Giants colors and said he "loathed everything Dodger."

"You just have to ignore the dummies who make a big deal out of it," he said.

Others said the rivalry enhanced the scene at AT&T, particularly in a season when the Dodgers were moving on to the playoffs and the Giants were getting ready to end a losing season.

"I came tonight just to show my love for the Giants because I knew there'd be more Dodger fans out tonight all pumped on their team," said Bill Fischer, 27, a Daly City resident. "You have to represent in times like these. That's what makes you a true fan."

Looking to ease enmity

Some people are actively trying to reduce the enmity of opposing teams.

"The rivalries have gotten out of hand. It's almost become a gang mentality," said Kathy Samoun, founder of Fans Against Violence, a Bay Area group formed after the 2011 beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Samoun wants to see fans take more responsibility for their behavior.

Instead of sitting passively in seats and shooting video of fights to post online later, fans should alert security guards and work as "fan-bassadors" to diffuse altercations before they escalate, she said.

To show how opposing boosters can come together, on Sept. 15 Samoun led a first-of-its-kind march in Seattle with 200 fans of the Seahawks and 49ers before the rivals' nationally televised game.

"Rivalries are what makes sports fun," she said. "We don't want them to go away. But some fans are taking them to extremes now. It's like they feel they have to defend their colors."